Recently, as is my wont, I was listening to some background chanting while doing work. I find it helps focus the mind and cut out the clutter and distraction of our modern era.
An anonymous, unnamed member of the household walked in to raid the snack cupboard and was rummaging around for a while. Selections made and assembled to satisfaction she turned to me and asked, “papa why do all these chants you listen to start with Om and end with Shanti?”
I thought about it for a moment.
Om, the cosmic sound of creation. When the big bang occurs, what sound is associated with it? That of Om.
Shanti – tranquility, when the universe reaches it’s highest state of entropy, when all molecules vibrate at the same energy, when no more reactions can take place, no work can be done. The end of days is a sea of tranquility.
Every chant of the eternal path is bookended between these two states.
Om – Let the universe begin.
Asatoma sadhgamaya – Let us escape the falsehood
Tamasoma Jyothirgamaya – Let us move into the light
Mrithyorma Amrithangamaya – From death release us to eternal bliss
Shanti Shanti Shanti hi – Tranquility… tranquility…. so be it – the universe ends in peace.
“That’s cool papa”.
It is, isn’t it. I too was left with wonder at where the thought had come from.
Let the Universe Begin
Let us escape the Falsehood
Let us move into the Light
From Death release us to Eternal Bliss
Tranquility | Tranquility | so be it – the Universe Ends in Peace
Is it Religion or Philosophy, truly when the Whole is Great than the Sum of the Parts.
Thank you for sharing this 🙂
Lovely and you posted this just in time for Deepavali! Dispel the darkness, welcome the light; illuminating not just the physical realm but our souls!
At this time of the year, there’s a nip in the wintry air; just cool enough but not too chilly. There’s a lovely phrase in Marathi that captures this, but it’s virtually untranslatable to English. It’s referred to as “Gulabi Thandi”. Directly translated it means “Pink Cold”, though clearly the meaning is lost in translation.